Since You've Been Gone
by XxAliGoldsworthyxX
Summary: Eli, Julia, and Autumn are best friends until Julia becomes suspicious that Eli and Autumn may like each other. After an argument, Julia dies in a car accident. So the 2 remaining friends move to Canada, but face many hardships and drama. FULL INSIDE
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: THIS IS NOT AN ECLARE FIC! IT IS ELI AND O/C! Not sure about the couples that will be included, but DEFINITELY some Drianca :) **

**FULL SUMMARY: Autumn, Julia and Eli are best friends, and Eli and Julia have been dating for 2 years. Julia becomes suspicious that Eli and Autumn may have feelings for each other, and she is hit by a truck and killed as she rides away on her bike after arguing with them about it. Afterwards, Eli, Autumn and their families move to Canada in attempt to start over and leave their dark past behind them. Eli and Autumn soon begin to fall in love, but will Degrassi's drama tear them apart? **

**A/N Hey everyone! …HERE IT IS! The new fic I've been so excited for! Just so you guys know, they all live in Florida, but they move to Canada afterwards, if I hadn't made it clear enough xD I have really big plans for this fic, so PLEASE give it a chance and read! AND BE SURE TO REVIEW! xoxo**

It was a normal day for Eli, Autumn and Julia. They were all hanging out in Autumn's living room like they always do on Fridays, talking. They had lived in the Florida since they were born, and they went everywhere together. They were best friends, until something tragic happened that changed their lives forever…

"Well, Julia, I personally think that it _wouldn't_ be nice if you went into people's houses and tried and kill their families, _even_ if they ate your last chocolate chip cookie," Eli said sarcastically with a smirk, his arm around Julia's shoulder. He was dressed in all black, from his hair to his combat boots, and although he was speaking to Julia, he continuously glanced at Autumn through the corner of his eye.

Julia looked into his deep green eyes with disapproval and tried to explain to him again why she thought it would be fair to kill her stepmother's friend and her family, all because she ate Julia's last cookie. She flipped her black razor cut bangs out of her eyes and looked up at Eli. They were the perfect Goth couple. Eli sighed and finally gave in.

"Okay, Julia… It _would_ be fair if you killed her and her family for eating your cookie," he chuckled and shook his head as he turned to Autumn.

Autumn and Julia were best friends, but they were complete opposites. Julia had jet black layered, pin straight hair with razor cut side bangs while Autumn had silky dark brown layers that reached to her shoulders. Julia had threatening grey eyes and Autumn had inviting dark green eyes like Eli's. Julia had pale, almost translucent skin while Autumn had slightly tan but light skin. Julia had a more grown-up looking face with red tinted lips while Autumn had a cute baby face and a glossy pink mouth. Julia dressed Goth, in all black, while Autumn wore unique but stylish clothes. Julia was highly opinionated and serious, while Autumn was a very good listener and very sarcastic but sweet. Julia lived with her step-mother and father as an only child, and Autumn lived with her mother and her older sister, Alessandra. But somehow, their differences made them the best of friends, since 6th grade. Now they were both in 10th grade, with 1,000,000 problems that they would get through together.

"Do you see what I go through? I am just never right with her," he said to Autumn.

"Agreed. I stopped trying to win arguments a month after I met her," she said with a grin, flashing her perfect white teeth. He smirked and winked in return.

For the past few months, Eli had been very flirty and showing interest in Autumn. Julia had been trying her hardest to ignore it and tell herself it was just Eli's personality. He didn't like Autumn… her best friend…

"Um… I'm going to go get us something to drink," Julia said suspiciously and got up slowly. She walked into the silver and white kitchen, and as she poured iced tea, she caught a glance of Eli and Autumn in the living room. Eli was now sitting on the arm of the big black leather recliner, next to Autumn, whispering something to her. He smirked and she lifted her eyes to look at him. She smiled and shook her head, looking down. That was the 3rd time Julia had caught them being secretive and flirty, and she was sick of it.

Her face turned crimson red with anger as she slammed down the iced tea and Eli and Autumn jumped up in surprise. She marched over to the living room and stood in front of them. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her right leg, looking between the only two people she thought she could trust.

"That's IT. Why have you guys been so secretive? Why have you been so flirty with her, and acting like you LIKE her? Like I don't exist! Why have you two been acting so… WEIRD? I want to know what's going on, and I want to know now!" Julia shouted her eyes teary and filled with hurt.

Autumn shot up out of her seat and looked at Julia with astonishment, at the same time that Eli got up and calmly approached Julia, his eyes narrowed.

"What are you_ talking _about, Julia? Why is everything a _problem_ with you? You find the stupidest things and you contort them and make them into something else, then find a way to blame _me _for it!" he said, his voice slightly raised. "There is nothing going on between Autumn and I! We've all been friends since 6th grade, and all of a sudden you think that I like her? Well, Julia… maybe if you are going to think things like that… maybe we shouldn't be together. Maybe someone else _would_ be better for me."

Tears rolled down Julia's cheeks and Autumn's eyes widened in surprise, as she stepped back out of the argument.

"Fine! If that's how you feel, then I hope you two are happy together. We're through," she said sternly, as she turned to Autumn. "And Autumn… how could you? You should have told me! I can't believe you would… I- I hate you."

Eli looked at Julia and began to try to apologize and take it all back, trying to explain, when Autumn cut him off before he could say anything.

"Julia! How could you say that? We're best friends- I would _never _do that- neither would Eli! How could you even think that!" she exclaimed, running over to Julia, her eyes filled with nothing but confusion at her best friends' harsh words. She reached out to Julia, in attempt to calm her. Julia stepped away from the both of them.

"No. Don't touch me. I hate you both," she decided, running out the door. She climbed on her sleek black bike and furiously pedaled out into the sunny afternoon.

Autumn and Eli glanced at each other once before Autumn finally spoke up. "We have to go get her. Come on."

Eli nodded once before they both sprinted out the door and pounded down the sidewalk. They caught up with her when she was about to pedal across the street, going way faster than she should be- especially without a helmet. They were only halfway down the block and she was already at the end, racing into the street.

Just as they stopped chasing her to catch their breath, Autumn saw a truck speeding straight toward Julia. They were both going too fast to stop as the truck beeped its deep, loud and ear-piercing horn, in attempt to make Julia stop- to warn her that the truck was coming toward her.

"JULIA!" Autumn screamed in sheer horror, but it was too late. Eli glanced up just in time to see the same thing that Autumn did- someone they love get killed in front of their eyes.

The truck smashed into Julia as she fell off of her bike, so confused because it was all happening too fast. The truck crushed her bike and ran over her, then proceeded to speed to wherever it needed to be without stopping.

Autumn screamed and ran over to her bloody body in the street as Eli chased behind her, not knowing what to say or do.

Autumn fell to her knees beside her and lifted her upper body into her arms.

"No! Julia! Please, please, please wake up… No… ELI! Call 911!" she cried and turned to him. He had a crazed look in his eyes as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. His eyes were watery as he shouted their location and problem into the phone in a terrified voice.

Blood dripped from a huge gash on Julia's face and leaked out of her nose and mouth, her body mangled and broken.

Eli kneeled over beside Julia on the opposite side of Autumn and pushed her bangs gently out of her eyes.

"Julia, please-" he whispered to her as his voice cracked and tears rolled down his pale, perfect cheeks. "Please wake up. I need you. I love you, Julia. Please don't do this to me…"

Autumn sobbed over Julia and spoke to her through her cries. "Julia, just remember you are my best friend in the world… I don't know what I would do without you… please, please wake up Julia… we need you!"

Autumn checked Julia's pulse and it was barely beating- it was softly and slowly thumping, giving up.

Julia's eyes fluttered open slightly and she found the strength to whisper her last words.

"I love you guys… you have to… move on…" she choked out quietly in a raspy voice and they could barely hear her, as they fluttered closed again and loud sirens echoed in the distance, coming toward them. Her chest stopped rising and falling slowly and her head fell to the side. Eli was silently crying and Autumn sobbed helplessly.

Ambulances and police cars approached the teens and paramedics hopped out of the ambulance with a gurney. The police closed the street with wooden barricades and bright yellow police tape. The paramedics quickly lifted the battered girl from her loved ones' arms and placed her on the navy blue gurney as they rushed her over to the ambulance. They lifted her in and drove off, racing to the hospital in attempt to save the almost 16 year old girl.

Autumn and Eli were covered in blood as they sobbed in the middle of the bloodstained street. Autumn was crouched down and crying hysterically, and Eli was frozen where he was, hyperventilating. They had both just lost the only thing they had in life, and now all they had left was each other.

Autumn and Eli had called Julia's stepmother and father and they were supposed to meet them at the hospital. Julia's two best friends pulled into the hospital parking lot silently, the only sound coming from Morty's engine. Autumn was getting out in a hurry as Eli gently grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he said in a strained voice, looking at her desperately. She looked back at him with curiosity before pulling her leg back into the car and closing the door.

"Autumn… I need you to help me. I can't… I can't do this alone. I can't go in there… I need you," Eli stammered, with a look in his eyes that proved that he really did need her. She smiled weakly and reached for Eli's hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

"I'm here. I'm here for you- always," she promised him. She saw a hint of a smile on his face as he nodded and they got out of the car, headed toward the hospital.

After sitting in an empty waiting room with their head in their hands, crying for an hour and a half, a nurse came out of the room Julia was in. Eli, Autumn and Julia's family jumped out of their seats, full of anxiety and hope.

"So how is she? Is she okay?" Autumn asked hopefully with Eli and Julia's family standing at her side silently.

The teary eyed nurse looked at them apologetically before telling them something that would change their entire lives.

"I'm sorry… Julia didn't make it. The car accident was too fatal… I'm so sorry," she said in a soft voice as they broke into tears. Eli and Autumn cried on each other's shoulders before finally accepting that nothing would ever be the same.

**A/N: So? What did you lovely readers think? I know it was short, but it was kind of a prelude to fill you in on everything. But the next chapter is when they go to Degrassi! Be excited people! xD Please REVIEW and tell me what you think- reviews make my day every time I see them! Every single one makes a difference ;) Oh! And first reviewer gets a shout-out and the next chapter dedicated to them! :D I love you all! :D xoxo **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I do not own Degrassi, but I own a fat bulldog that enjoys sitting on people's laps :)**

**A/N REMEMBER THIS IS AU! THAT'S WHY THEY LIVE IN FLORIDA FIRST! **

**Hey everyone! I'm really glad you guys read my story- it got a lot of views/hits! But people are sometimes just too lazy to review whenever you read a story… oh well! xD **

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to **_**WaitCait705**_**. She was the first reviewer of this story! She's an amazing author and you should really check out her stories- especially **_**Secrets!**_** Thanks so much Caitlyn! Xoxo **

**A few shout outs to **_**eclarefanaticxoxo **_**and **_**KitKat0219…**_

_**Eclarefanaticxoxo- Thank you a billion times! You are, like, one of my favorite authors and your review inspired me to update and make this chapter longer! Your stories are freaking AWESOME and I am really honored that you read mine and liked it. Xoxo**_

_**KitKat0219- Thank you for your review! I'm really glad you gave my story a chance being that you don't usually read Eli/OC stories! I was PSYCHED that you liked my story too, and your reviews make me SUPER HAPPY! THANKS! Xoxo**_

**Okay! This chapter is going to be fairly long, and sorry if the beginning seems slightly rushed! I just want to get to the part where they get to Degrassi. :)**

-_1 year later_-

"Come ON, Eli! It'll be fun- I promise!" Autumn whines as Eli and her load Morty's trunk with huge suitcases full of some of their stuff. Eli's parents and Autumn's mom were in the moving trucks with the rest of the stuff, and Autumn's sister Alessandra had some stuff too. She was riding with her boyfriend Hunter.

Eli turns to her and sighs.

"Of course! Moving to Canada has always been a dream of mine!" he says sarcastically.

"Come on, Eli. You have to give it a chance! This is our new beginning- our chance to start over! We've been through too much, Eli. We have to leave it behind and make a new life," she says softly, gently touching his shoulder understandingly.

"Sounds great," Eli says flatly and slams the trunk closed, walking around to the drivers' side of the car. He gets in and closes the door, starting the car, its engine groaning to life.

Autumn sighs heavily and raises her eyebrows. "This is going to be a _long _ride…"

20 hours of driving, switching places, eating, stopping for gas, and reading later, they arrive in front of their new houses, exhausted. It's around 1am, and they are pulling Morty into Eli's driveway, across the street from Autumn's. The two houses look almost identical- large, tan, white windows and doors… the whole block looked pretty much the same. There was no one outside, the only sounds the humming of cars rolling down the street, and Eli and Autumn's families pulling up to the house as well.

Eli pulls the key out of the ignition and looks at the baby-faced brunette once before they both get out of the car, prepared. As they get out, they see their parents parking the moving trucks and Alessandra and Hunter pull his Lexus into Autumn's driveway.

Autumn's mom hops out of the first moving truck in her black high-heels, plain black tee and dark blue skinny jeans, her wavy caramel-colored hair cascading a little past her shoulders. She was always dressed fancy, no matter what the occasion was. She looks wide awake and perky, her lips bright red, her makeup perfect and hair un-frizzed, as if she didn't just drive 20 hours in a moving truck to Canada.

"Hey you guys!" she says loudly with her Hispanic accent. "How are you?" she runs over to Autumn and Eli with a grin on her face, showing off her perfect white teeth. She pulls them both in for a hug.

"You guys did this drive all by yourselves! I'm so proud of you!" she says, despite the fact the _she _actually drove the moving truck here on her own, while everyone else had a partner to switch off with. She looks at both of them. Autumn can't help but chuckle at her caring but obnoxious mother. She was always there for Autumn, and she gave her a lot of freedom she didn't even ask for.

"Hey mom," she says simply with a smile.

Eli smirks and nods at the 36 year old woman and greets her. "Nice to see you, Ms. Rodriguez."

"Eli, we've known each other for 5 years now. How many times am I going to tell you to call me Candi?" she says with a smile.

"Right… Candi," he replies. Autumn turns around and sees Eli's parents, CeCe and Bullfrog, get out of the other moving truck. CeCe's choppy blond hair is messy, and she is has on her big silver hoops, eyeliner and hot pink lipstick. She is wearing one of her crazy combos- a dark purple leopard print long sleeved shirt under a black leather vest, with blue jeans and black leather knee-high heels. Autumn loved CeCe. She was like her 2nd mom.

"Autumn! Eli!" CeCe says with a huge smile as she runs over to them, her heels clacking against the concrete and her arms open for hugs.

"Hey CeCe," Eli says flatly. He wasn't too enthusiastic about the move. If it wasn't for Autumn, he would have crawled under a rock and stood there mourning Julia's death for the rest of his life.

"Hey honey!" CeCe greets her son with a big hug. "Cheer up, baby! We're here to start over! Everything's going to change. You're going to be happy now, sweetheart."

"…I know. I'm going to try, CeCe. I am," he replies with a weak smile. She smiles back in thanks and turns to Autumn.

"Autumn!" she squeals and gives Autumn a loving hug. "How are you, honey bunch? How was the ride?"

"It was great! I'm so excited to just be able to start over, as hard as it'll be. I want to meet new friends, have a normal life, and be as happy as possible," Autumn replies with a smile as she takes in her surroundings.

It's nothing like Orlando. There are a few dim streetlights giving off a warm glow, but there weren't any stores with flashing lights on the block. All the houses on the block were tan and plain, not modernized houses with patios and pools. There weren't cars speeding down the street with music blasting, just a few silently rolling by. There weren't obnoxious teenagers yelling and laughing and walking down the block, there was no one in sight- everyone was asleep. To be honest, it was utterly… boring. It was all new to them, and it would definitely take some getting used to.

"That's wonderful, baby. Julia would want y'all to be happy," she says softly, touching Autumn's arm gently. Autumn nods back and smiles at her best friend's mother. Eli snorts and shakes his head, walking over to his dad attempting to get out of the moving truck after CeCe. The plump man is wearing a studded leather vest, dark blue jeans and black cowboy boots. He struggles to get down as Eli tries to help him step down from the truck. He lands on the ground with a thump, and he smirks and nods, as if congratulating himself.

He runs his fingers through his little bit of brown hair coolly before walking over to CeCe and Autumn.

"Hey there, Autumn," he says in his raspy voice with a wave and turns to CeCe. "We should go into the house and unpack everything tomorrow. We all need a little rest."

All of the furniture was in the moving trucks, but the rooms were already decorated. Their parents had come here a few weeks earlier and designed just the bedrooms, including new beds and furniture in their rooms. Everything else in the house would be decorated later on in the week, so everyone decided just to bring in their suitcases with their clothes tonight.

CeCe nods and gives Autumn a peck on the cheek before turning toward their house across the street from Autumn's. They walk inside and leave the door open for Eli to come in when he is ready.

"Autumn! I'm going inside so come in when you are ready! And let your sister know to do the same thing," Candi exclaims as she hauls a few large suitcases inside their new house. Autumn turns to Eli to see him sitting on her front stoop, his head in his hands. She sits next to him and puts her arm around his shoulder.

"It'll be okay," she whispers.

"It won't," he replies curtly. "It never will be, Autumn. Never again."

He lifts his head and looks at her, his eyes watery. A single tear rolls down his pale, flawless cheek and she wipes it away with her thumb.

"I'm going to get you through this, Eli. We're best friends- that will never change. Just remember that, okay?" she says comfortingly.

He nods and replies, "I know… We have school tomorrow, and it's been a long ride. So let's get some rest."

"Good idea," she says more cheerily with a small smile. He smiles back and pulls her in for a hug. "Goodnight, Autumn," he says before getting up and walking across the street. He disappears into the darkness and she hears the door creak and close behind him.

Alessandra and Hunter get out of his car hand in hand as they approach Autumn. Alessandra looks perfect, as usual, as she struts over to the new house. Her pin straight brown hair is silky and shiny as it falls in a perfectly messy side ponytail with choppy side bangs. Her small, delicate lips are glossy and pink and her teeth are so white it's almost blinding. Her eyes are crystal blue like her father's and black mascara brightens them. Her flawless skin, which is lighter than Autumn's, is radiant. She is wearing a dark purple satin top with a super low neckline that plunges to almost to her bellybutton, with a black tank top underneath and a thick gold belt around the middle. She has on big golden hoops and golden flats to match, with dark skinny jeans that compliment her very slender but curvy body.

Hunter, her male-model boyfriend for 3 and a half years, walks beside her, his shaggy brown hair blowing in the wind. His chocolate brown eyes glimmer with pride as he walks with her, his plaid, red button-down slightly open.

"Hey!" Alessandra says with excitement as she runs over to her. She wraps her arms around her in a big hug before letting her sister, who is only 3 years younger than her, breathe.

"Hey, Alessandra," she replies, chuckling. Hunter nods his head at Autumn before Autumn tells her sister they should go inside because it's really late. She agrees before they walk inside their new house, suitcases of just clothes in hand.

When they get inside, Autumn says goodnight to her mom before running upstairs to her new bedroom. She hasn't seen it yet, so it would be a surprise. Her mother said that the doors had signs with each person's name on it, so she would know which was her room.

Autumn opens the door with her name on, it and sees a huge, modern looking room already decorated with one of her favorite colors as a theme- purple. The walls are lilac and the floor is shiny, waxed wood that is light purple. There is a bedframe the color of the floor coming out of the wall, with a queen-sized mattress and dark purple sheets and black throw pillows. A little dark purple, rectangle rug is at the end of the bed, making it look cozy. On the wall opposite the bed, there are 6 shelves in the wall right next to a long desk with a brand-new mac on top of it. There is a large pinkish-purple furry rectangle with black designs hanging above the desk that balances out the colors of the room, and a spinning black computer chair in front of the desk. On the wall next to the desk, there is a black framed window with dark purple curtains covering the top half and fuzzy wallpaper on the wall that looks like a carpet for it, the same color as the bed sheets. Next to the window, there is a small fish tank and a flat-screen TV mounted above it. Next to the bed is a fuzzy black chair with little purple throw pillows, and the wall behind the bed has the same carpet wallpaper, except it's striped with different shades of purple. And to top it all off, there's a crystal and light purple chandelier with little lights in the middle of the room, hanging from the ceiling. (LINK OF BEDROOM ON MY PROFILE! I RECOMMEND YOU LOOK ;D)

Autumn squeals in excitement as she plops down onto her new bed- still in her uncomfortable outfit- with a brand- new mattress that she sank right into.

_It's perfect, _she thought before being rudely awakened by reality. _Except for the fact that Julia's gone… forever. _

She sighs as she rolls over into her pillow, and does what she did every night: she cries herself to sleep, blaming herself for her best friend's death.

It was 7am, and Autumn's alarm was beeping like crazy. She groans as she pulls her phone from under her pillow and dismisses the alarm. She opens her eyes slowly and as soon as she does, she falls off her bed with surprise.

She has no idea where she is. She sits up abruptly and looks around her, and it takes her a few seconds to process that she was in her new house in Canada. She takes a deep breath and suddenly remembers she has to go to school. Her new school- Degrassi.

She groggily opens the door to her bathroom, and sees that it is the most beautiful bathroom she has ever seen in her life. It is underwater themed, and it has a stand-up shower, dark blue walls with little fake sea turtles, 2 sinks, a huge mirror, and marble, tan sink tops. (LINK TO BATHROOM ON MY PROFILE… ALSO RECOMMEND A LOOK…) She gasps in surprise at how amazing it all is- everything in her new house. The only thing missing was Julia…

After showering, brushing her teeth, blowing out her hair, applying makeup and getting dressed, Autumn is ready for her first day at Degrassi. She knew Degrassi had uniforms, but they told her she could wear normal clothes for the first day and purchase her uniform at the end of the day. So for today, she found a bright red t-shirt with a thick black belt around her torso, making her look curvy, with blue skinny jeans and brand new black ballet flats all in her suitcase. To accessorize, she adds a few black bangles, black hoops and- of course- her little silver locket with Julia's picture inside, that she wore every day. The shiny locket is heart shaped with 2 wings in the front that opened to reveal a picture of Julia and Autumn.

Autumn opens the locket and glances at the picture before closing it and slinging her dark purple Aeropostale tote bag over her shoulder, filled with a spiral notebook, 2 marble notebooks, a few pens and a folder. They told her she wouldn't need very much, so she didn't bring much.

She runs downstairs and out the door. "Bye mom!" she calls over her shoulder as she walks down the steps to see Eli standing in front of her house, his hands in his pockets. He smirks as he sees her, and he's wearing black skinny jeans, a red and white graphic tee, a black vest and his headphones around his neck.

She grins at seeing his goofy smirk again and speaks first. "Wow, Eli. On time for school? _You? _I'm proud."

When she gets down the stairs, they walk side by side to Morty.

"Don't get used to it," he retorts in his usual sarcastic manner. "It's our first day- we shouldn't be late… but maybe our second…"

She shoves him playfully before they get into Eli's hearse. When they get in, Eli turns and smiles at her sweetly before pulling out of his driveway and heading toward their new high school.

When they pull into the parking lot of Degrassi, it is 8:30am, and they have 10 minutes to kill before the first bell rings. They get out of the car and look at each other, ready for a new beginning.

They walk together to the front of the building and wait for the bell.

"Hi!" they hear someone squeak. They turn their heads in unison to find a short, pretty Indian girl standing next to Autumn with a huge grin on her face. She's in a purple Degrassi polo with a yellow 'D' in the right corner and a uniform skirt with black strappy heels and big silver hoops. She has straight black hair that reaches her shoulders with front bangs, and big brown eyes. She has on lip gloss and mascara that brings out her eyes, and a perfect manicure with bright red nail polish. She holds a large, olive green tote bag over her shoulder as she speaks to them.

"I'm Alli! Alli Bhandari. I'm a sophomore here. You must be the new juniors!" she exclaims with excitement as she looks at Autumn and barely at Eli. Autumn smiles genuinely back at Alli.

"Hey, nice to meet you. I'm Autumn and this is Eli," she replies kindly, gesturing to the dark haired boy beside her. "We just moved here from Orlando."

"Sweet!" Alli says. She looks at Eli. "You're really… dark. But you seem nice!"

He smiles curtly and says sarcastically, "Well you seem pretty Goth yourself…"

"Ah, sarcasm. I like it," she says with a smirk before looking back at Autumn. "And you seem REALLY awesome! I think we could be the best of friends! I would love to get to know you more! We should totally hang out sometime."

Autumn smiles back at her. "Cool. I'd really like that."

"Great! So, see you around. Later, emo boy!" she says brightly, waving as the bell rings. She meets up with a pale girl with short, curly hair and they walk into the building together, and so does the rest of Degrassi.

Autumn smiles and looks at Eli before they silently walk into the building, side by side, as people oblivious to them and their dark past shove by.

**SO? What did you think? Did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Next chapter will be really getting into the Degrassi mode! PLEASE REVIEW AND GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS! I'd really like more reviews and feedback on this chapter! :D xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer- I do not own Degrassi.**

**A/N Hey everyone! I'm SO SUPER SORRY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT! I was planning on making this chapter super long as an apology, but I got sick yesterday and haven't had the energy to make it as long as I wanted. I would have extended the length and updated in a few days, but it was really important to me that I updated TODAY. Anyways, thanks for the wonderful reviews! Every review counts! :D Whenever I see a review, I smile, and I stay that way for the rest of the day! I love you all. Thank you a billion times! Xoxo**

**I would also like to give a shout out to **_**927natalie! **_** She favorited, alerted and reviewed. I was so happy to see someone really liked my story enough to do all that! Thank you so much! Xoxo**

**Also to **_**WaitCait705 **_**because she's just awesome. :D She's a really dedicated reader and her stories are incredible. I recommend a look at **_**Secrets. **_**It's my personal favorite. Thanks so much for the support Caitlyn! :D xoxo**

…

Autumn and Eli make their way to Principal Simpson's office to get their schedules, and when they get there, it seems as if he were expecting them.

"Hello! You must be Autumn Reeves," he says with a smile as he shakes Autumn's hand. He is balding, but he has a little bit of red hair and pale skin. He has blue eyes and he seems welcoming.

"And Elijah Goldsworthy! How nice to meet you both," he says politely and shakes Eli's hand as well.

"Call me Eli," he replies smoothly with an annoyed smile. Mr. Simpson nods his head and turns to grab 2 pieces of paper. He hands each of them one piece of paper, and they see that it's their schedules.

"There are your schedules. Now hurry to class! Don't want to be late on the first day!" he says and shoos them off. They shuffle out the door and the hallways are still crowded. They examine their schedules and locker numbers.

"Look, Eli. Our lockers are next to each other," Autumn states with a smile, looking at her best friend.

He looks back at her and smirks. "Awesome."

When they get to their lockers, they put in whatever they don't need and go to their first period classes after discovering they have lunch, English and History together.

Autumn has math 1st period, so she waves goodbye to Eli before hurrying away to find the math classroom. She finds the room and, seeing that it's still fairly empty, breathes a sigh of relief. She goes to the front of the room where her teacher sits at a desk. He looks up from his papers and smiles welcomingly at her. He is big and muscular, with tan skin and curly brown hair.

"Ah! So you must be our new student here at Degrassi! What's your name?" he asks her politely.

"Autumn," she replies sweetly with a smile.

"Well, it's great to have you here, Autumn. I'm Mr. Armstrong. Why don't you take a seat in the back next to Owen?" he says, gesturing to an empty desk in the back of the room next to a kind of handsome dark haired boy, whose name was apparently Owen.

She walks to her desk and sits down quietly while people chat all around her. Owen scoots his desk closer to her and puts his arm on her desk. She looks up in annoyance.

"Hey there, beautiful. What's your name?" he says flirtatiously. He has messy black hair, sort of pale skin and thick eyebrows- and he is smirking creepily.

"Uh, Autumn…" she replies and looks back to the front of the room.

"So, Autumn. Got a boyfriend?" he asks, his hand now on her leg.

"Um, I don't see how that's any of your business, but if you must know, then no, I don't have a boyfriend right now…" she says uncomfortably.

"Well, I don't know how such a pretty girl like you isn't taken… maybe you can call _me _sometime…?" he says, his hand slowly inching up her thigh.

"Sorry, but I do _not _see that happening," she scoffs and shoves his hand away from her.

"Oh, feisty now are we? I like girls who play hard to get," he whispers, his face close to her ear. He puts his arm around her shoulder and slowly moves it down her arm, gently moving to her back, down to her lower back.

"Get. The. Hell. Off. Me. You. PERV," she says angrily before yanking his arm off her and pushing him away harshly.

"Owen! Leave the girl alone and stop being a jerk for once," Autumn hears a voice yell from the front of the room. She looks to where the voice is coming from and sees a girl standing at the door with her hand on her hip. She has very curly dark brown hair and tan skin. She is wearing huge silver hoops, lots of lip gloss and mascara, a red Degrassi polo, black boots with 4 inch heels and the Degrassi uniform khaki skirt, but rolled up at the top to make it very short. She pops her gum and struts to the back of the classroom where Owen and Autumn are, with every eye on her. She was very pretty, but she seemed tough.

There's actual fear in Owen's eyes as he glances at the curly haired girl and moves away from Autumn, placing his hands on his desk as if he's a 5 year old whose been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to by his mom.

The curly haired girl stops in front of Owen and glares down at him. He looks up at her and she moves to his right side. She leans down next to him and whispers in his ear, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Listen here, babe. You are going to stop being a pervert and harassing girls, or else…" she gently moves her palm to the back of his neck and begins stroking up and down his neck softly with her tips, but then starts to dig her nail extensions into his neck. He cries out in pain.

"Okay, okay! I'll stop, I swear!" he gasps.

"Great!" she says evilly and stands up straight, smirking. She goes to the other side of Autumn to a desk where a small, nerdy looking boy sits. She simply stands in front of his desk with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised, tapping her foot impatiently before he scrambles out of the seat and runs to another desk. She smirks again and sits down coolly before turning to Autumn.

"Sorry about Owen- he's such a disgusting pervert. He pretty much mentally undresses every pretty girl he sees," she says, rolling her eyes and putting her feet up on the desk. She folds her arms behind her head and kicks back to relax as if she were at home.

"It's fine," Autumn replies with a chuckle, shaking her head. "I'm Autumn- I'm new here. Just moved in from Orlando."

"Oh, so you're the new girl everyone's been yapping about! They were right… you are kind of pretty, I guess," she mumbles the last part to herself while scanning Autumn over. "I'm Bianca. Well known amongst the Degrassi student body…"

"Cool. I think out of everyone I've met so far, you're definitely my favorite," Autumn replies- and she means it. She really liked this Bianca girl. Sure, she didn't seem like the sweetest or smartest or best behaved or down to earth person she's ever met, but her and Autumn just automatically clicked.

Bianca smiled at her and Mr. Armstrong started the class. "Alright, class. Settle down. Go to your seats. Class is starting," he shouts to the class. Everyone goes quiet and takes their seats as he begins teaching.

…

Halfway through Math, Autumn's phone vibrates in her pocket. It's a text message from Eli. She hides the blackberry under her desk as she reads.

_Hey. Meet me at our lockers before lunch. I'm bringing someone, u can 2 if u want. _

_-3 Eli_

She smiles at the thought of Eli making a friend. That's progress. Should she bring Bianca? Was it too soon to ask her to hang out with them at lunch? Well, Bianca seemed popular enough, so maybe she would bring some other people she could introduce them to. Autumn shrugs and decides it's worth a shot.

When the bell rings at the end of class, Autumn turns to Bianca.

"Hey, Bianca. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and my friend Eli at lunch…?" she asks hesitantly. The corner of Bianca's pink mouth pulls up in a half smile.

"Hmm… lunch with the new girl… It's unlike me, but okay. I'll go. Maybe I can teach you a few things about the school. Let's meet at the Dot," she says, the smile not fading from her pretty face. She walks out of the classroom, her hips swaying from side to side and heels clacking against the tile floor. And by just walking out of the classroom, she draws more than a little bit of attention to herself.

…

The next classes are a blur, and soon enough, it's lunchtime. Autumn goes to her locker and waits for Eli. She is putting things in her locker when two big, strong hands cover her eyes softly.

"Guess who," she hears a familiar guy's voice behind her- she could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Hmm, I don't know," she says, playing along. The 'stranger' chuckles and removes his hands from her eyes.

She turns around to a surprisingly happy Eli. He is smiling genuinely and it reaches his eyes- for once there isn't a dark, empty look in his eyes. He looks actually happy. But what could make her scarred for life best friend happy again after being depressed beyond repair for the past year?

"Hey there. Hurry up- we're supposed to meet someone at someplace called 'The Dot' for lunch."

Who was this someone that could make Eli so happy? "Okay, hang on. I told my friend to meet us, too."

She shoves her books in her locker and she and Eli stroll down the halls, both with smiles, heading toward the Dot.

**So? Did you guys like it? :D I hope you did! I'm sorry for the shortness, but I still have some important things to figure out. **

**Sneak peak at the upcoming events: rape, friendship, secrets, relationships, love, guilt, mistakes, regrets, possible love triangles… and more! :D**

**Please continue reading, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW, favorite if you like it, alert if you want more, and tell your friends! :D xoxo love you all. **


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